Couple Builds Tiny Home From Old Camper

Sometimes building a tiny home from scratch is just too much work or too expansive, which is why creative solutions are always welcome. That’s exactly what North Carolina couple Julia Fowler and her boyfriend came up with. They turned a 1984 Fleetwood Prowler, which is a fifth-wheel model camper that fits over a truck, into a cozy tiny home which they plan to take on the road soon.

They purchased the inexpensive camper for cash, with a plan to make it into a tiny home using mostly recycled and repurposed materials and hard work. However, they soon discovered there was a lot of water damage, which meant that they had to rebuild around 80 percent of the camper from the frame up. This took them around 6 months, and raised the cost of the remodel.

They added new insulation to the camper in the process, while they also reframed the roof to add a skylight above the sleeping loft. They re-upholstered the sofa in the seating area themselves, while the armrests are actually Julie’s yoga bolsters. The sofa also has ample storage hidden underneath it. The sleeping area is located in a loft, and movable stairs lead to it. Under and inside these steps there is more storage space.

In the kitchen, they added a slide-out surface under the main counter to create more space. They made the backsplash using metal from an old propane tank, and the counter tops were built out of salvaged wood. The towel rack is handmade out of driftwood and hangs over the sink. They also came up with a clever solution for the mason jars. They glued the lids to the ceiling, which is very organized and ensures that the jars are safe while the camper is on the road. They used recycled skateboards as shelving over the workspace.

The bathroom features a sink made from a metal bowl with a hole drilled into the bottom, while the toilet is most likely a composting one. The walls are covered with old map wallpaper, which gives the bathroom a very unique look. The bathroom door is actually an old wooden door that they got at Habitat ReStore.

Plans for the future include raising the roof to create more headroom in the loft. But even without that this is a great example of how easy and affordable it can be to create a tiny home.